View source for Uniformed services of the United States

{{short description|Uniformed service of the United States}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox national military
|country=The United States
|name=Uniformed services of the United States
|image= [[File:Military service mark of the United States Army.svg|80px]] [[File:Emblem of the United States Marine Corps.svg|80px]] [[File:Emblem of the United States Navy.svg|80px]] [[File:Military service mark of the United States Air Force.svg|80px]] [[File:Seal of the United States Space Force.svg|80px]] [[File:Seal of the United States Coast Guard.svg|80px]] [[File:Seal of the USPHS Commissioned Corps.png|80px]] [[File:NOAA Commissioned Corps.png|80px]] 
|caption= The emblems of the eight U.S. uniformed services
| founded = {{Start date and age|1775|06|14|df=yes}}{{efn|With the establishment of the [[Continental Army]].}}
| current_form =
<!-- PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THE ORDER OF PRECEDENCE HERE OR ELSEWHERE IN THE ARTICLE. Please read the talk page as to why. -->
|branches={{plainlist|
* {{Army|United States|size=23px|name=U.S. Army}}
* {{Marines|United States|size=23px|name=U.S. Marine Corps}}
*  {{Navy|United States|name=U.S. Navy|size=23px}}
* {{Air force|United States|size=23px|name=U.S. Air Force}}
* {{Space force|United States|size=23px|name=U.S. Space Force}}
* {{Flag|United States Coast Guard|size=23px|name=U.S. Coast Guard}}
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the United States Public Health Service.svg|size=23px}} [[United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps|U.S. PHS Commissioned Corps]]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps.svg|size=23px}} [[NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps]]
}}
| headquarters = 
<!-- Leadership. -->
|commander-in-chief={{Flagicon image|Flag of the President of the United States of America.svg|size=23px}} [[Donald Trump]]
|commander-in-chief_title=[[President of the United States|President]] 
|minister={{plainlist|
* {{Flagicon image|USSecDefflag.svg|size=23px}} [[Pete Hegseth]] ([[United States Secretary of Defense|DoD]])
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of the United States Secretary of Homeland Security.svg|size=23px}} [[Kristi Noem]] ([[United States Secretary of Homeland Security|DHS]])
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.svg|size=23px}} [[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]] ([[United States Secretary of Health and Human Services|HHS]])
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of the United States Secretary of Commerce.svg|size=23px}} [[Howard Lutnick]] ([[United States Secretary of Commerce|DOC]])
}}
|minister_title=Secretaries
<!-- Manpower -->
| age                = 17 with parental consent, 18 for voluntary service.{{efn|Maximum age for first-time enlistment is 35 for the Army,<ref name="goarmy.com">{{cite web|title=United States Army|url=http://www.goarmy.com/about/service-options/enlisted-soldiers-and-officers/enlisted-soldier.html|website=Goarmy.com|access-date=18 June 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130629172147/http://www.goarmy.com/about/service-options/enlisted-soldiers-and-officers/enlisted-soldier.html|archive-date=29 June 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> 28 for the Marine Corps, 34 for the Navy, 39 for the Air Force<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airforce.com/contact-us/faq/eligibility/#what-cut-off-age|title=Contact Us: Frequently Asked Questions - airforce.com|work=airforce.com|access-date=1 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150420232249/http://www.airforce.com/contact-us/faq/eligibility/#what-cut-off-age|archive-date=20 April 2015|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and 27 for the Coast Guard.<ref name=USCGcareers>{{cite web|title=Plan Your Next Move to Become a Coast Guard Member|url=http://www.gocoastguard.com/active-duty-careers/enlisted-opportunities/plan-your-next-move|work=Enlisted Opportunities|publisher=U.S. Coast Guard|access-date=27 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428023201/http://www.gocoastguard.com/active-duty-careers/enlisted-opportunities/plan-your-next-move|archive-date=28 April 2014|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>}}
| conscription       = [[Conscription in the United States|Male only (inactive since 1973)]]
| manpower_data      = 2016
| manpower_age       = 18–25
| available          = 17 million<ref>{{cite web |title=QUICK FACTS AND FIGURES |url=https://www.sss.gov/About/Quick-Facts-and-Figures |publisher=Selective Service System |access-date=6 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141339/https://www.sss.gov/About/Quick-Facts-and-Figures |archive-date=12 June 2018}}</ref>
| available_f        =
| fit                =
| fit_f              =
| reaching           = 2 million<ref>{{cite web |title=Number of births in the United States from 1990 to 2016 (in millions) |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/195908/number-of-births-in-the-united-states-since-1990/ |website=Statista |access-date=6 November 2018 |date=2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107104044/https://www.statista.com/statistics/195908/number-of-births-in-the-united-states-since-1990/ |archive-date=7 November 2018 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
| reaching_f         =
| active             = 1,374,125<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/appj/dwp/rest/download?fileName=ms0_2006.pdf&groupName=milTop |title = ARMED FORCES STRENGTH FIGURES FOR JUNE 30, 2020}}</ref>
| ranked             = 3rd
| reserve            = 849,450{{cn|date=January 2025}}
| deployed           = 170,000{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
<!-- Financial -->
| amount             = [[Military budget of the United States|US$721.5 billion (2020)]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=National Defense Budget Estimates for FY 2021|url=https://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2021/FY21_Green_Book.pdf|date=April 2020|website=United States Department of Defense}}</ref> ([[List of countries by military expenditures|ranked 1st]])
| percent_GDP        = 3.42% (2019)<ref name="NATO">{{cite web |title=Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries (2012-2019) |url=https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/pdf_2019_06/20190625_PR2019-069-EN.pdf|date=25 June 2019|publisher=NATO Public Diplomacy Division|access-date=18 July 2019}}</ref>
<!-- Industrial -->
| domestic_suppliers = [[List of United States defense contractors|List]]
| foreign_suppliers  =
| imports            =
| exports            =
<!-- Related aricles -->
| history            = [[Military history of the United States]]
{{hidden 
|''List of engagements''
|[[American Revolutionary War]]<br />[[Whiskey Rebellion]]<br />[[American Indian Wars|Indian Wars]]<br />[[Barbary Wars]]<br />[[War of 1812]]<br />[[Patriot War]]<br />[[Mexican–American War]]<br />[[Utah War]]<br />[[Cortina Troubles]]<br />[[Reform War]]<br />[[American Civil War]]
* [[New York City draft riots]]
[[Las Cuevas War]]<br />[[Spanish–American War]]<br />[[Banana Wars]]<br />[[Philippine–American War]]<br />[[Boxer Rebellion]]<br />[[Border War (1910–1918)|Border War]]<br />[[World War I]]<br />[[Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War|Russian Civil War]]<br />[[World War II]]<br />[[Cold War]]
* [[Puerto Rican Nationalist Party insurgency]]
* [[Korean War]]
* [[1958 Lebanon crisis]]
* [[Dominican Civil War]]
* [[Bay of Pigs Invasion]]
* [[Cuban Missile Crisis]]
* [[Vietnam War]]
* [[Korean DMZ Conflict]]
* [[Operation Eagle Claw]]
* [[Multinational Force in Lebanon|Multinational Force Lebanon]]
* [[United States invasion of Grenada|Operation Urgent Fury]]
* [[Operation Golden Pheasant]]
* [[United States invasion of Panama|Operation Just Cause]]
[[Gulf War|Persian Gulf War]]<br />[[Somali Civil War]]
* [[Operation Gothic Serpent]]
* [[Battle of Mogadishu (1993)|Battle of Mogadishu]]
[[Bosnian War]]
* [[Operation Deliberate Force]]
* [[Operation Deny Flight]]
[[Kosovo War]]
* [[NATO bombing of Yugoslavia|Operation Allied Force]]
[[War on terror|Global War on Terrorism]]
* [[Operation Enduring Freedom]]
** [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|Afghanistan]]
** [[Operation Enduring Freedom – Philippines|Philippines]]
** [[Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa|Horn of Africa]]
** [[Operation Juniper Shield|Trans Sahara]]
* [[Iraq War]]
* [[War against the Islamic State|Intervention against ISIL]]
* [[Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]
[[Hurricane Katrina disaster relief#Military|Military deployment after Hurricane Katrina]]<br />
[[Pakistan–United States skirmishes]]<br />
[[List of wars involving the United States|Other]]
| headerstyle=background:#b0c4de
| style=text-align:center;
}}
| ranks              = <!-- PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THE ORDER OF PRECEDENCE HERE OR ELSEWHERE IN THE ARTICLE. Please read the talk page as to why. -->
'''Commissioned officer'''
* {{nowrap|[[United States Army officer rank insignia|Army officer]]}}
* {{nowrap|[[United States Marine Corps rank insignia|Marine Corps officer]]}}
* {{nowrap|[[United States Navy officer rank insignia|Navy officer]]}}
* {{nowrap|[[United States Air Force officer rank insignia|Air Force officer]]}}
* {{nowrap|[[United States Space Force rank insignia#Officer insignia|Space Force officer]]}}
* {{nowrap|[[United States Coast Guard officer rank insignia|Coast Guard officer]]}}
* {{nowrap|[[United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps#Ranks and insignia|Public Health Service officer]]}}
* {{nowrap|[[NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps#Commissioned officers|NOAA Corps officer]]}}

'''Warrant officer'''
* {{nowrap|[[Warrant officer (United States)#Army|Army warrant officer]]}}
* {{nowrap|[[Warrant officer (United States)#Marine Corps|Marine Corps warrant officer]]}}
* {{nowrap|[[Warrant officer (United States)#Navy|Navy warrant officer]]}}
* {{nowrap|[[Warrant officer (United States)#Air Force|Air Force warrant officer]]}}
* {{nowrap|[[Warrant officer (United States)#Coast Guard|Coast Guard warrant officer]]}}

'''Enlisted'''
* {{nowrap|[[United States Army enlisted rank insignia|Army enlisted]]}}
* {{nowrap|[[United States Marine Corps rank insignia|Marine Corps enlisted]]}}
* {{nowrap|[[List of United States Navy enlisted rates|Navy enlisted]]}}
* {{nowrap|[[United States Air Force enlisted rank insignia|Air Force enlisted]]}}
* {{nowrap|[[United States Space Force rank insignia#Enlisted insignia|Space Force enlisted]]}}
* {{nowrap|[[List of United States Coast Guard enlisted ranks|Coast Guard enlisted]]}}
}}

The [[United States]] has eight federal [[uniformed services]] that [[Officer (armed forces)|commission]] officers as defined by [[Title 10 of the United States Code|Title 10]] and subsequently structured and organized by Titles [[Title 10 of the United States Code|10]], [[Title 14 of the United States Code|14]], [[Title 32 of the United States Code|32]], [[Title 33 of the United States Code|33]], and [[Title 42 of the United States Code|42]] of the [[United States Code|U.S. Code]].

==Uniformed services==
The uniformed services are:<ref>{{USC|5|2101}}</ref>
# [[United States Army|Army]]
# [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]]
# [[United States Navy|Navy]]
# [[United States Air Force|Air Force]]
# [[United States Space Force|Space Force]]
# [[United States Coast Guard|Coast Guard]]
# [[United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps|Public Health Service Commissioned Corps]]
# [[NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps|National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps]]

Each of the uniformed services is administratively headed by a [[United States federal executive departments|federal executive department]] and its corresponding civilian [[Cabinet of the United States|Cabinet]] leader.

==Federal executive departments==
'''Department of the Army (DA)'''
* [[United States Army|Army]] (USA): Established 14 June 1775
'''Department of the Navy (DON)'''
* [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] (USMC): Established 10 November 1775
* [[United States Navy|Navy]] (USN): Established 13 October 1775
'''Department of the Air Force (DAF)'''
* [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] (USAF): Established 18 September 1947
* [[United States Space Force|Space Force]] (USSF): Established 20 December 2019

The order of precedence within the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] is set by DoD Directive 1005.8 and is not dependent on the date of creation by the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]].

* [[United States Coast Guard|Coast Guard]] (USCG): Established 4 August 1790
Prior to 1967, the Coast Guard was part of the [[United States Department of the Treasury|Department of the Treasury]]. In 1967, it became a part of the [[United States Department of Transportation|Department of Transportation]]. In 2002, it was placed under the [[United States Department of Homeland Security|Department of Homeland Security]]. During times of war, it may be transferred to the [[United States Department of the Navy|Department of the Navy]], under the Department of Defense.
* [[United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps|Public Health Service Commissioned Corps]] (PHSCC): Established 4 January 1889
The Corps is headed by the [[Surgeon General of the United States]].  The corps may be detailed to the armed forces by order of the president.
* [[NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps|National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps]] (NOAA Corps): Established 22 May 1917.
The NOAA Corps was created as the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps, a component of the [[United States Coast and Geodetic Survey]], on 22 May 1917. It was removed from the Coast and Geodetic Survey and became a component of the [[Environmental Science Services Administration]] (ESSA) as the Environmental Science Services Administration Corps (ESSA Corps) upon the establishment of ESSA on 13 July 1965. The ESSA Corps became the NOAA Corps as a component of NOAA when ESSA was abolished and NOAA simultaneously was created on 3 October 1970. Under all three names, the corps has been an element of the [[United States Department of Commerce|Department of Commerce]] throughout its existence. The corps may be detailed to the armed forces by order of the president.

==Statutory definition==
The eight uniformed services are defined by {{uscsub|10|101|a|5}}:

<blockquote><poem>The term "uniformed services" means—
:(A) the armed forces;
:(B) the commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and
:(C) the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service.
</poem></blockquote>

The six uniformed services that make up the armed forces of the United States are defined in the previous clause, {{uscsub|10|101|a|4}}:

<blockquote>The term "armed forces" means the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard.</blockquote>

All eight uniformed services are subject to the provisions of {{uscsub|10|1408}}, the [[Uniformed Services Former Spouses' Protection Act]].<ref name=Cornell>{{cite web |title=10 U.S. Code § 1408 - Payment of retired or retainer pay in compliance with court orders |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/1408 |website=Legal Information Institute |publisher=Cornell Law School |access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref>

==U.S. Armed Forces==
{{main|United States Armed Forces}}
Six of the uniformed services make up the armed forces as defined by Title 10, five of which are within the Department of Defense. The Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security and has both military and [[Law enforcement agency|law enforcement]] duties. Title 14 states that the Coast Guard is part of the armed forces at all times, making it the only branch of the military outside the Department of Defense. During a declared state of war, however, the [[President of the United States]] or U.S. Congress may direct that the Coast Guard operate as part of the Department of the Navy.<ref>{{usc|14|3}}</ref> The Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, along with the NOAA Commissioned Corps, operate under military rules with the exception of the applicability of the [[Uniform Code of Military Justice]], to which they are subject only when militarized by executive order or while detailed to any component of the armed forces.<ref>{{Cite web|title=UCMJ S 802. Art. 2. Subs. (a). Para. (8) |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/802-}}</ref>

[[Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces]] are all members of the military who serve in a reserve capacity. The [[National Guard (United States)|National Guard]] is an additional reserve military component of the Army and Air Force, respectively, and is composed of National Guard units, which operate under Title 32 and under state authority as the [[Army National Guard]] and [[Air National Guard]]. The militia that later became the National Guard was first formed in the [[Colony of Virginia]] in 1607 and is the oldest uniformed military force founded in the [[New World]]. The National Guard can also be mobilized by the president to operate under federal authority through Title 10. When acting under federal direction, the National Guard is managed by the [[National Guard Bureau]], which is a joint Army and Air Force activity under the Department of Defense,<ref name="H.R. 4986">{{cite web|url = http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?tab=main&bill=h110-4986|title = H.R. 4986: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008|access-date = 30 June 2008|archive-date = 18 March 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120318064033/http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?tab=main&bill=h110-4986|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref name="H.R. 4986 text">{{Cite web|url=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-4986|title=H.R. 4986: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 full text|access-date=30 June 2008|archive-date=18 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318062837/http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-4986|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-4986|title=SEC. 1812. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU AS JOINT ACTIVITY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE|access-date=30 June 2008|archive-date=18 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318062837/http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-4986|url-status=dead}}</ref> with a 4-star [[General (United States)|general]]<ref name="H.R. 4986"/><ref name="H.R. 4986 text"/> from the Army or Air Force appointed as its top leader. However, in federal service, command and control of National Guard organizations will fall under the designated geographic or functional combatant commander. The National Guard serves as a reserve component for both the Army and the Air Force, and can be called up for federal active duty in times of war or national emergencies.<ref name="H.R. 4986"/><ref name="H.R. 4986 text"/>

==Non-armed uniformed services==
*The Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) is the uniformed personnel system of the [[United States Public Health Service|Public Health Service]], which is under the [[United States Department of Health and Human Services|Department of Health and Human Services]].
* The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps) is a uniformed branch of the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] (NOAA), which is under the Department of Commerce.

Commissioned officers of the PHSCC and NOAA Corps wear [[uniform]]s that are derived from U.S. Navy and Coast Guard uniforms, except that the commissioning devices, buttons, and insignia reflect their specific service. Uniformed officers of the PHSCC and NOAA Corps are paid on the same scale as members of the armed services, with respective rank and time-in-grade. Additionally, PHSCC officers are covered by the [[Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act of 1994|Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act]] and the [[Servicemembers Civil Relief Act]] (formerly the Soldiers and Sailors Civil Relief Act). The PHSCC and NOAA Corps consist of commissioned officers only and have no [[warrant officer]] ranks or [[enlisted rank]]s.

Commissioned officers of the PHSCC and NOAA Corps may be militarized by order of the president.<ref>The PHSCC is under Title 42 & 46 U.S.C.</ref> Because they are commissioned officers, they can be classified as [[Prisoner of war|prisoners of war]] (POW) under the [[Geneva Conventions]] if captured by a [[belligerent]] entity. The PHSCC traces its origins to [[Marine Hospital Service|a system of marine hospitals]] created by [[An Act for the relief of sick and disabled seamen]], passed by Congress in 1798; it adopted a military model of organization in 1871.<ref>''[[United States Code]]. Title 5. Part III. Chapter 21. S 2101''.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/about/history/ |title=History of the Office of Surgeon General |date=18 July 2006 |access-date=9 April 2014}}</ref> The [[United States Coast and Geodetic Survey|Coast and Geodetic Survey]] (USC&GS), a predecessor to NOAA, originally began commissioning its officers so that if captured while engaged in battlefield surveying, they would be protected under the [[International humanitarian law|law of armed conflict]] and could not be tried or executed as [[espionage|spies]]. The USC&GS Commissioned Officer Corps became the Environmental Science Services Administration Corps (ESSA Corps), upon the creation of the [[Environmental Science Services Administration]] on 13 July 1965, then became the NOAA Corps upon the creation of NOAA on 3 October 1970.

== U.S. Merchant Marine Service ==
The [[United States Maritime Service]] is federal uniformed organization within the [[United States Department of Transportation|Department of Transportation]], that is no longer structurally organized. As such, they are not officially listed a federal uniformed service, as defined by U.S. law. However under the authority of the [[President of the United States|president]] and the [[United States Secretary of Transportation|secretary of transportation]], the service still commissions officers to serve as administrators and instructors at the [[United States Merchant Marine Academy]] and the [[United States Maritime Administration#Maritime Academies|state maritime academies]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=U.S. Maritime Service: the Forgotten Service |url=http://www.usmm.org/usms.html |access-date=2022-02-01 |website=www.usmm.org}}</ref> Commissioned officers of the Maritime Service cannot be deployed or assigned to another [[United States Armed Forces|military service]], and thus are not subjected to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. While the chances a Maritime Service officer being captured by an enemy is unlikely, they would be classified as POWs under the Geneva Conventions if they were.

==See also==
* [[Civil Air Patrol]]
* [[Military badges of the United States]]
* [[State defense force]]
* [[Strategic Sealift Officer Program]]
* [[United States Coast Guard Auxiliary]]
* [[United States Maritime Service]]
* [[United States Merchant Marine]]

==References==
'''Informational notes'''
{{notelist}}

'''Citations'''
{{reflist}}

{{Uniformed services of the United States}}
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{{US Navy navbox}}
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{{United States Space Force}}
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{{United States Department of Health and Human Services}}
{{United States Department of Commerce}}

[[Category:Uniformed services of the United States| ]]